Mexico coach Miguel Herrera will use a 4-4-2 formation for his team’s Gold Cup opener against Cuba on Thursday, with Giovani dos Santos missing out.

El Tri will go with Guillermo Ochoa in goal. Across the back, it will be Miguel Layun, Francisco "Maza" Rodriguez, Diego Reyes and Paul Aguilar. In the midfield, Mexico will start Andres Guardado, Jose Juan Vasquez, Jonathan dos Santos and Hector Herrera. Up top, Carlos Vela will partner with Oribe Peralta. Giovani dos Santos will start from the bench, with Herrera moved out wide. With Hector Moreno out of action, Mexico has shifted from its usual 5-3-2 to a 4-4-2, allowing the team to add an additional midfielder and not have to replace Moreno in central defense.

"We thought that in this tournament we have more players with better ball-handling skills in the midfield," Miguel Herrera said during a news conference. he added: "So it would be better for us to send out more players in the midfield. We have to show our talent on the field and so I believe that by having four in defense we are able to better display that talent."

Mexico faces Cuba at 8:30 p.m. ET at Soldier Field. The group’s other two teams, Trinidad and Tobago and Guatemala, will face off in the preceding game.

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